Oklahoma State wins 5th straight at home with nice 69-63 victory against Kansas State

Cameron McGriff scored 14 points and had five rebounds to help lead Oklahoma State to its fifth straight home win, 69-63 against Kansas State on Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Thomas Dziagwa scored 11 points, and Isaac Likekele had a strong showing with nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals for OSU (16-14, 6-11 Big 12), which has won six of its past nine games after starting conference play 0-8.

The Cowboys also locked up an No. 8-9 seed matchup against Iowa State (12-18, 5-12) in the first round of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The seeding for the game, which will be at 6 p.m. March 11, will be determined after OSU and ISU play their final regular-season games.

Cartier Diarra scored 16 points to lead Kansas State (9-21, 2-15), which has lost 10 straight games dating back to Feb. 1. Mike McGuirl and Xavier Sneed both hit double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively, and Sneed pulled down seven rebounds.

The Cowboys struggled to hold possession in the first 10 minutes of the game as they committed nine turnovers, but they managed to hold a 26-23 halftime lead with 11 turnovers. The first half was highlighted by a few dunks from McGriff and 3-pointers by Dziagwa.

OSU came out of the break on a six-point run, but the Wildcats roared back with a 15-5 run for a 48-44 lead. The Cowboys responded to KSU’s surge with a blistering 18-3 run to take over the game. The Wildcats eventually clawed their way back within four points, 67-63, with less than a minute remaining, but the Cowboys defense held them off.

What’s next

The Cowboys close out the Big 12 regular season Saturday at Texas, which has won five straight. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. at the Frank C. Erwin Center in Austin.